Holder for storing a recorder-tape magazine

ABSTRACT

A holder for a tape-recorder magazine with a freely rotatable tape-winding hub has a support with guides for sliding the magazine over a transport path into and out of a storage position. A hub-locking member is movable under the control of the magazine between nonlocking positions and a locking position in which the member extends into the transport path to lock the hub against undesired rotation when the magazine is in the storage position.

HOLDER FOR STORING A RECORDER-TAPE MAGAZINE The invention relates to aholder for the storage of a recorder-tape magazine having at least onewinding core or hub for a recorder tape, which-holder is provided withguide members forming a transport path over which the magazine may bemoved into and out of a storage position.

Known holders of this kind are not particularly suitable for the storageof magazines in which the recorder tape is wound on winding cores whichare not fixed against undesired rotation because the tape will unwinditself when the holder is vibrated or shaken. As a result this may causethe tape to form loops in the magazine which may give rise todifficulties and even to deterioration of the tape in recording and/orplaying back recordings on the tape.

An object of the invention is to provide a holder in which thesedifficulties cannot occur. In accordance with the inventhe above typewith locking means including a locking member controlled by movement ofthe magazine and having a portion extending into the transport path tolock at least one one winding hub against undesired rotation while themagazine is in the storage position. I

As a result of these steps any vibrations of the holder will notinfluence the location of the recorder tape. A holder according to theinvention is therefore very suitable to be carried in vehicles in whicha tape playback apparatus is used. In one embodiment of my invention,which is particularly suitable for storing magazines with a winding hubhaving a bore having inwardly extending teeth, the locking means aretiltable in both directions against spring action from a center positionsubstantially at right angles to the direction of sliding in and out andin a plane parallel to this direction of sliding, said means occupyingthe center position with the magazine in the storage position andgripping between the teeth of the winding core or cores.

In this embodiment, upon introducing the magazine, the locking meanswill be tilted by the magazine from their vertical center position untilthe bore in the winding core or cores faces the locking means, which,due to the pring action, return to their center position, thus grippingbetween the teeth of the winding core or cores and locking this core orthese cores. When the magazine is withdrawn, the locking means aretilted in the opposite direction, that is to say in the direction of thesliding movement, until they are released by the magazine and againreturn to their center position due to the spring action.

According to another embodiment which is suitable, for storing amagazine having two winding hubs, the locking means comprise .two pinsextending into the transport path and coupled by means of a spindlewhich is supported to be tiltable outside the transport path and atright angles to the direction of sliding, a helical spring being securedat one end to a fixed point of the holder and at its other end to aneccentric portion of the spindle. Consequently, upon tilting the lockingpins form their center position substantially at right angles to thedirection of sliding in and out, a counteracting couple caused by thespring force will be exerted on the spindle coupling the pins, whichcouple causes the pins when released to return to their center position.The ends of the locking pins are preferably flattened through part oftheir length, resulting in a knife edge which grips between the teeth ofthe winding cores with the magazine introduced. By this step it isutterly impossible that, upon locking the winding cores, the lockingpins impact against the front faces of the teeth within the bore of thecore.

In a suitable embodiment of a holder according to the invention thisholder is provided with at least one wall in which the locking meansoperable by the magazine are supported.

The invention also relates to an assembly holders suitable for thestorage of a plurality of magazines, which assembly is characterized bya cabinet open at least at one side, which is divided by partitions intospaces for the storage of the magazines, the locking means operable bythe magazine being housed in the said partitions.

tion I overcome the above difficulties by providing a holder of In orderthat the invention may be readily carried into effect on embodimentthereof will now be described in detail, by way of example, withreference to the accompanying diagrammatic drawing, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of three holders according to the inventionand shows two magazines being stored therein; and I FIG. 2 is across-sectional view of a wall of one holder, taken on the line "-11 ofFIG. I.

The cabinet 4shown in FIG. 1 contains three holders 1, 2 and 3 eachadapted to store one of three magazines A, only two of which are shownfor the sake of clarity in conditions introduced wholly and in part.

The magazines A are of a kind known per se and each includestape-winding hubs or cores 5 and 6 supported to be freely rotatable inthe magazine and a recorder tape which is not shown. The winding cores5, due provided with bores 7 and 8, respectively, into which teeth 9 and10 of the cores extend in substantially radial direction.

A wall 11 of the cabinet 4 is partly broken away so that the interior oftheholder 1 can be seen. Of the holders 1, 2 and 3, which are ofidentical construction, the holder 1 will now be described in detail. 1

Holder 1 comprises a base member 19 carrying guiding means, includingguide members 12-13 and 14-15, for moving a magazine A over a transportpath into and out of a storage position. The guide members 12 and 13 arein the 7 form of leaf springs the free ends of which have bent portions16 and 17 which can snap behind lateral projections 18 of the magazinewhen introduced. Thus,mernbers l2 and 13 not only assist in guiding themagazine along the transport path, but also arrest any undesirablemovement in the direction of the path and provide some centering actiontransversely thereto.

The guide members 14 and 15 are formed as guide ribs which extend in thedirection of sliding of the magazine and form parts of base member 19 ofholder 1. Member 19, as well as members 20 and 21 of holders 2 and 3respectively also serve as-partitions which subdivide the cabinet 4 intostorage spaces for holders 1, 2, and 3. The holder may comprise inaddition to the guide ribs 14 and 15, which, as may be seen more clearlyin FIG. 2, guide the lower side of a magazine, similar .upper ribs (notshown) for guiding the upper side of the magazine. Such upper guide ribsmay be arranged for the holder 1 against the lower surface of thecabinet wall .11, but these ribs are not of essential importance for thepresent invention. The upper guide ribs for the holders 2 and 3 arepresent on the lower side of the basic wall 19 of the holder 1 and onthe basic wall 20 of the holder 2, respectively, and are indicated by 22(see FIG. 2). The holder according to the invention includes locking orbraking means controlled by movement of a magazine into and out of astorage position to hold the hub or hubs of the magazine againstundesirable rotation while the magazine occupies the storage position.As shown in the drawings such means include a spindle 24 pivotallymounted in a cavity of base member 19.

A spindle 24 is journaled in an aperture 23 of the wall 19 at rightangles to the direction of sliding of the magazine, said spindle bearingat its ends on a supporting surface 25 recessed in the wall and beingsupported, at a small distance therefrom, by ribs 26 provided in thewall. Furthermore the spindle 24 engages the lower sides of tongues 27provided in the upper surface of the member 19. The aperture 23 has ashape such that the spindle can be fitted through the said aperturebetween the supporting surfaces 25, 26, 27 or removed therefrom. Ahelical spring 28, formed as a tension spring in the present example, issecured at one end to an eccentric portion 29 of spindle 24 and at itsother end to member 19. The spindle 24 is provided with two pins 30 and31 extending into the sliding transport path of the magazine, which pinsare tiltable against the action of spring 28 from the central or lockingposition shown into two side or nonlocking positions. As will appearfrom the drawings the movement of pins takes place in planes which aresubstantially parallel to the axis of the transport path i.e. the

direction in which the magazine is moved into and out of the storageposition, and which are substantially perpendicular to upper surface ofplate-shaped member 19 of spring 28 from a center position (as shown)substantially at right angles to the direction of sliding in and out andin a plane parallel. When a magazine is slid in an out, these tiltingmovements are caused by the magazine, the spring 28 providing a coupleaction on the spindle 24 and counteracting the tilting movements of thepins from their central position. When a magazine is slid in, it willcause the pins 30 and 31 to tilt down until the bores 7 and 8 of thecores of the magazine pass along the pins 30 and 31. As a result of thecounteracting couple, the pins at this instant jump back to theircentral position, thus gripping between two of the teeth 9 and 10present in the bores and locking the winding cores 5 and 6 of themagazine undesired rotation. When the magazine is slid out the pins areagain turned away, but now in the reverse direction, whereupon theyreturn to their central position shown when the magazine is removedcompletely.

In the embodiment described, the pins 30 and 31 are flattened throughpart of their length and formed as knife edges for advantageous lockingof the winding cores 5 and 6.

it should be noted that the invention is not limited to the embodimentdescribed hereinbefore and shown in the F Figure. The range of theinvention comprises a single holder for the storage of one magazine aswell as assemblies of arbitrary numbers of holders for the storage of aplurality of magazines. The invention is also applicable to the storageof magazines which have only one freely rotatable winding core which issubject to undesired rotation during storage.

I claim:

1. A holder for a recorder-tape magazine having a tapewinding hubsubject to undesired rotation during storage, comprising a support,guiding means carried by said support for guiding the magazine over atransport path into and out of a storage position and locking meanscarried by said support and including a locking member controlled bymovement of the magazine over the transport path for engaging the huband holding the same against undesired rotation while the magazine is inthe storage position.

2. The device of claim 1 in which the locking means include a pivotcarried by the support, a locking member rotatably mounted on said pivotand having acentral-locking position in which the member extends intothetransport path to engage the hub and inoperative side positions outsidethe path, and resilient means urging said locking member into thecentral position. m

3. The device of claim 1 in whichthe guiding means include resilientmembers arraigned at theusides of the u support to center the magazineand to resist movement thereof along the transport path.

4. The device of claim 1 in which the locking member has a sharp edgeportion.

5. A holder for storing a recorder-tape magazine having a tape-windinghub, comprising a plate-shaped support, elongated guide membersspaced-apart on said support for sliding the magazine along a transportpath into and out of a storage position, and means controlled bymovement of the magazine along the transport path to lock the hubthereof against undesired rotation when the magazine is in the storageposition, said last means including a pivot mounted on said support andextending transversely the guide members, a spindle mounted on saidpivot, locking pins secured to said spindle and rotatable in a planeperpendicular to the plate-shaped support between two side positions anda central-locking position extending into the transport path and springmeans urging the pins from the side positions into the central position.v

6. The holder of claim 5 in which the support has a cavity and thespindle and the spring means are located within the cavity.

7. The holder of claim 5 in which the plate-shaped support has a cavityand is provided with an aperture for passage of the spindle, pins andspring means into the cavity.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CERTIFICATE OF CORRECTION Patent No. 3554,463 D t d Jan. 12 1971 JAN HENDRIK JACOB THEUWISSEN Inventor-(s) Itis certified that error appears in the above-identified patent and thatsaid Letters Patent are hereby corrected as shown below:

Col. 2, line 2, before "embodiment" "on" should be -one- H II "A spindle24 is journaled in an aperture 21 of the wall 19" C01 3, line 24, delete"F" Col.4, line 12, before "support" delete "u Signed and sealed this5th day of October 1971.

QSEAL) Attest:

EDWARD M.FLETQHER,JR. ROBERT GOTTSCHALK Attesting Officer ActingCommissioner of Patent

1. A holder for a recorder-tape magazine having a tape-winding hubsubject to undesired rotation during storage, comprising a support,guiding means carried by said support for guiding the magazine over atransport path into and out of a storage position and locking meanscarried by said support and including a locking member controlled bymovement of the magazine over the transport path for engaging the huband holding the same against undesired rotation while the magazine is inthe storage position.
 2. The device of claim 1 in which the lockingmeans include a pivot carried by the support, a locking member rotatablymounted on said pivot and having a central-locking position in which themember extends into the transport path to engage the hub and inoperativeside positions outside the path, and resilient means urging said lockingmember into the central position.
 3. The device of claim 1 in which theguiding means include resilient members arraigned at the sides of the usupport to center the magazine and to resist movement thereof along thetransport path.
 4. The device of claim 1 in which the locking member hasa sharp edge portion.
 5. A holder for storing a recorder-tape magazinehaving a tape-winding hub, comprising a plate-shaped support, elongatedguide members spaced-apart on said support for sliding the magazinealong a transport path into and out of a storage position, and meanscontrolled by movement of the magazine along the transport path to lockthe hub thereof against undesired rotation when the magazine is in thestorage position, said last means including a pivot mounted on saidsupport and extending transversely the guide members, a spindle mountedon said pivot, locking pins secured to said spindle and rotatable in aplane perpendicular to the plate-shaped support between two sidepositions and a central-locking position extending into the transportpath and spring means urging the pins from the side positions into thecentral position.
 6. The holder of claim 5 in which the support has acavity and the spindle and the spring means are located within thecavity.
 7. The holder of claim 5 in which the plate-shaped support has acavity and is provided with an aperture for passage of the spindle, pinsand spring means into the cavity.